Why is it so hard to just listen?

The most frustrating thing about living in this digital technology era is obviously the technology itself. We know that gadgets were made to make our lives easier so we could have time for ourselves to spend with our family and friends. Yes, some of the major advancements in technology have aided us and minimized the need for human intervention. We are slowly losing the need for another human being in our daily lives. Mobile phones were created to bridge the gap between people living far away yet it has managed to create a distance between two people who are sitting right next to each other. We already know this but this has become more than just a habit, it’s the new normal. Having WhatsApp is just as equal as having a driver’s license. There are days when we get into a mental cave surrounded by gadgets, the internet, or Netflix and forget the existence of people around us. Sometimes I wonder if that will be a new future – purely human and robot. It is marvelous to even think of the possibilities of the future. Now, our ‘need’ to talk to a person became a ‘want’. So, is it really possible for us to live without human interaction?

I don’t think so (I don’t want it to be). You may not need to talk to a person, but you want to in times of crisis or when you just want someone to listen to you. You may not need answers but you feel relieved like a huge weight taken off your back when you share your struggles with someone.

So, tying up technology and the need for someone to listen, do we want a highly intelligent robot therapist to listen to us and finally tell us – “It’s going to be okay. Please calm down.”?

That sounds scary, isn’t it? Many predictions say that the human race will be controlled by human-created machines. And I feel that it is already happening. It may not be humanoid robots patrolling in the roads ruling the land like they show in movies, but we are falling into the hands of technology more than we realize. We tend to social media for instant gratification and thereby lose patience to work hard and gain organic satisfaction. We have to agree that our lives have become easier with instant access to information, but is it worth losing real relationships?

We are not going to talk about whether the rise of technology is a boon or a bane because it has already risen and we need to start living with it. Just like we talk about work-life balance, we need to talk about tech-life balance. We need to find ways to disconnect from these devices and try to enjoy the life surrounding them. For starters, I insist you all set timeout for your device usage and find a new hobby and pursue it. You can just start with setting out 30 minutes before sleeping for listening to your favorite music instead of scrolling through your Instagram feed one last time. If you spend too much time scrolling through those endless short videos on TikTok or Instagram, remember something – ‘Produce at least 5% of what you are consuming ‘ and that could be your new hobby.

#lifelessons #Traumatic #Emotions #emotions #Raw